WE NOW live in unstable, uncertain times. With the advent of the game changer Covid-19, everybody is at his toes wary of the dangerous effects of the dreaded disease.
Figures keep on increasing in terms of Covid-19 cases, as well as the death toll with the United States outnumbering all nations. The worldwide tally has breached the 2 million mark and would increase till the cure is finally found and validated.
The new normal is the stay-home routine wherein nobody without the required quarantine pass is allowed to go out. The accepted excuse is when you buy essentials or for medical reasons or needs.
The lockdown may not have helped any of us. Vehicles are seen plying the otherwise busy EDSA thoroughfare and people go about milling around public markets, imposing the social distancing rule. Whatever, people tend to violate established norms even risking imprisonment for moments of unrestricted movements or liberty.
The ECQ, or enhanced community quarantine may be enlarged to Extreme Enhanced Community Quarantine or, better, Modified Community Quarantine depending on the movement of cases in the ensuing days.
The decision to expand the ECQ or lift the lockdown altogether rests on the President upon the recommendation of health experts and the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF).
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Say, whatever happened to the team of Chinese medical experts which came to the country purposely to help us address the disease? Have they helped in any way as planned? Remember, the Covid 19 emanated from Wuhan, China but reports have it that cases in that city have decreased or have not spiked in the last few days. Could this be a sign that the disease is finally vanishing in that city?
Many have been dislocated by Covid-19; many have lost income so vital to their existence. When will the government realize this dire consequence and finally relax the rules surrounding lockdowns? We cannot forever rely on sole outs or relief goods. Somehow, we should be given the freedom to go about our usual, normal ways of earning a living.